Scrap Metal Prices in Warrnambool
Estimated scrap yard payouts in Warrnambool on : about $13.42/kg for bare bright copper, $2.51/kg for aluminium extrusion, $7.85/kg for yellow brass. These are our estimates from MetalpriceAPI market prices × typical payout rates × Warrnambool's 0.86× regional factor, not quotes from Warrnambool yards; call a yard before you go. Where these numbers come from.
Warrnambool is the major regional centre on Victoria's south-west coast, with scrap activity driven by dairy farming, fishing, and steady residential development. Reasonable proximity to Melbourne smelters keeps rates closer to Geelong than to inland regional Victoria.
Current scrap metal prices in Warrnambool
Spot price equivalents adjusted for Warrnambool's regional rate (0.86×). Actual yard payouts apply the grade-specific payout rate on top — typically 12–78% of spot depending on grade.
| Metal | Sydney spot | Warrnambool equiv. | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | $20.01 | $17.21 | Grades & payouts → |
| Aluminium | $4.48 | $3.85 | Grades & payouts → |
| Brass | $15.21 | $13.08 | Grades & payouts → |
| Steel | $0.42 | $0.36 | Grades & payouts → |
| Stainless Steel | $2.41 | $2.07 | Grades & payouts → |
| Lead | $2.75 | $2.37 | Grades & payouts → |
| Zinc | $5.46 | $4.69 | Grades & payouts → |
| Nickel | $23.83 | $20.49 | Grades & payouts → |
Where these numbers come from
| Figure | Value | Source | Type | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper spot price | A$20.01/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Aluminium spot price | A$4.48/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Brass spot price | A$15.21/kg | Calculated: 67% copper + 33% zinc (MetalpriceAPI) | Our calculation from feed prices | |
| Steel spot price | A$0.42/kg | Fixed site estimate of A$0.42/kg | Fixed estimate, not a market feed | |
| Stainless Steel spot price | A$2.41/kg | Calculated: 8% nickel (MetalpriceAPI) + a fixed A$0.50/kg chromium allowance | Our calculation, partly a fixed estimate | |
| Lead spot price | A$2.75/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Zinc spot price | A$5.46/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Nickel spot price | A$23.83/kg | MetalpriceAPI (LME-linked market data) | Market data feed | |
| Warrnambool regional factor | 0.86× | Our model (freight distance and yard rate differences) | Our estimate | |
| Grade payout rates | 12–78% of spot | Our estimate from published yard rate cards | Our estimate |
Spot prices are converted to Australian dollars per kilogram. Yard payouts are our estimates (spot × grade payout rate × regional factor), not quotes from any yard. Set when the site launched on 2026-05-16 and not updated since. No live steel scrap price feed is used. The chromium allowance is a fixed figure set on 2026-05-16, not a market price. Full detail: methodology.
How Warrnambool compares
Scrap yards in Warrnambool pay roughly 14% below the Sydney national benchmark (0.86× regional adjustment). Among Australian regional centres, rates here are closest to Hervey Bay (0.86×). Rates here reflect moderate transport costs to Melbourne for export and processing.
Where the yards are in Warrnambool
Warrnambool has only a handful of scrap merchants. The long-established yard is on Watson Street in the city's industrial pocket, and the rest of the trade is made up of towing-based metal recyclers and mobile buyers who cover Port Fairy, Koroit, Camperdown and Terang from the city. Dennington, five kilometres north-west, is the old dairy-processing suburb and remains the closest thing to a second industrial precinct.
With so few fixed yards, competition is limited and the mobile collectors are the main alternative. Farm clean-ups of old tractors, trucks and dairy plant are where the local buyers make most of their volume.
Where Warrnambool's metal goes
Warrnambool is 263 kilometres from Melbourne and 188 kilometres from Geelong on the Princes Highway. Steel and non-ferrous loads generally go east to Geelong's yards in North Geelong and Breakwater or straight on to InfraBuild's Laverton electric arc furnace and the Port of Melbourne. Being on a single coastal highway to Geelong keeps rates closer to Geelong's than to inland towns of the same size.
What's different about selling in Warrnambool
The local economy is dairy farming and milk processing, with meat processing and tourism behind it. The 2019 closure of the Fonterra plant at Dennington, once the world's largest condensed milk factory, was a reminder that factory decommissioning brings occasional large scrap loads to a small market. Victoria's 2018 cash ban applies, so yards pay electronically against photo identification. CDS Vic refund points pay 10 cents per eligible container.
Sources for the Warrnambool sections above (last checked ):
- en.wikipedia.org: Warrnambool
- en.wikipedia.org: Dennington, Victoria
- travelvictoria.com.au: distances
- orbitmetalrecycling.com.au: mobile scrap metal buyer warrnambool
- infrabuild.com: infrabuild to increase capacity at its melbourne facility to 1mpta and boost capacity in sydney to deliver more sustainable steel
- consumer.vic.gov.au: scrap metal laws
Rules for selling scrap in Victoria
- Governing law
- No stand-alone scrap metal Act. Scrap metal dealers and auto wreckers are regulated under the Second-Hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1989 and its regulations, and must be registered as second-hand dealers with the Business Licensing Authority (Consumer Affairs Victoria).
- Photo ID
- Yes, for every scrap sale. When buying scrap metal the dealer must record the seller's name, address and identification details. Second-hand dealers accept one photo ID (passport, driver licence, a photo document issued by a statutory authority, a tertiary student card or a firearms licence) or two non-photo documents such as a birth certificate, citizenship certificate, marriage certificate or a Commonwealth health or pensioner card.
- Cash payments
- Cash is banned, in force since 30 May 2018. A dealer must not pay or receive cash for scrap metal. Payment can only be by a cheque that is not transferable or payable to cash, or by electronic funds transfer, and e-currency such as bitcoin is not allowed. Penalty up to 200 penalty units, or a 12 penalty unit on-the-spot fine.
- Scrapping a vehicle
- A scrap metal dealer must not buy a scrap motor vehicle if its vehicle identifier (the VIN on vehicles built from 1 January 1989) has been removed, defaced, obliterated or altered, and a vehicle 15 years old or newer must be entered on the written-off vehicle register as a statutory write-off. VicRoads registration cancellation steps could not be confirmed from a fetched page.
- Container deposit scheme
- CDS Vic (Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme), 10 cents per eligible container. Opened 1 November 2023. Most aluminium, glass, plastic and carton drink containers between 150 mL and 3 litres are eligible.
- Also worth knowing
- For each purchase the dealer records the item description, quantity or weight, vehicle identifier if any, seller details, date and time, a copy of the payment and the staff member's name; on selling it also records the date, time, method and place of disposal. A lot of items each worth under $100 can be recorded as a single entry.
Summarised from the legislation and government guidance below (more on our state-by-state rules guide). Rules change; confirm with the yard before you go.
Sources (last checked ):
- consumer.vic.gov.au: scrap metal laws
- consumer.vic.gov.au: notice for consumers cash payments for scrap metal are banned (PDF)
- consumer.vic.gov.au: evidence of identity
- premier.vic.gov.au: cash scrap ban comes effect today
- premier.vic.gov.au: victorias container deposit scheme now open
- cdsvic.org.au
- epa.vic.gov.au: container deposit scheme
Other Victoria scrap markets
Yards across Victoria pay rates relative to their distance from major smelters and ports. Melbourne is the state capital and typically has the most competitive rates in the state.
Popular items: what they're worth in Warrnambool
Estimated scrap value at Warrnambool yards. Assumes properly prepared material (oil drained, copper stripped from motors, refrigerant degassed where required).
Scrap yards in Warrnambool
We don't list any yards in Warrnambool yet — submit one to help build the directory. View directory page →
Frequently asked questions about scrap metal in Warrnambool
Where are the best scrap metal yards in Warrnambool? +
Our yard directory lists Warrnambool yards with addresses, phone numbers and Google ratings, but we don't rank them — the best yard for you depends on the metal, the load size and who is paying well that week. The practical approach is to call 2-3 yards before transporting a load: published rates are useful guides, but actual offers vary by day, load size, and material quality.
Why does Warrnambool pay less than Sydney for scrap metal? +
The 14% gap to Sydney reflects transport costs. Metal sold in Warrnambool eventually travels to a smelter or export port — typically via Melbourne — and yards price the freight cost into their offer. Our regional adjustment is modelled from observed yard rates plus distance to processing facilities.
What's the highest-paying scrap metal in Warrnambool? +
Copper, by a wide margin. Our estimate for clean bare-bright copper in Warrnambool is around $13.42 per kilogram (spot price × 78% payout rate × 0.86 regional factor). Brass and aluminium follow, with steel paying the least per kilogram but compensating through volume — most ferrous loads are weighed on commercial weighbridges where small differences in rate matter less than tonnage.
Do Warrnambool scrap yards require photo ID? +
Yes, for every scrap sale. When buying scrap metal the dealer must record the seller's name, address and identification details. Second-hand dealers accept one photo ID (passport, driver licence, a photo document issued by a statutory authority, a tertiary student card or a firearms licence) or two non-photo documents such as a birth certificate, citizenship certificate, marriage certificate or a Commonwealth health or pensioner card. (No stand-alone scrap metal Act. Scrap metal dealers and auto wreckers are regulated under the Second-Hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1989 and its regulations; last checked 2026-09-02.)
Can I be paid cash for scrap metal in Warrnambool? +
Cash is banned, in force since 30 May 2018. A dealer must not pay or receive cash for scrap metal. Payment can only be by a cheque that is not transferable or payable to cash, or by electronic funds transfer, and e-currency such as bitcoin is not allowed. Penalty up to 200 penalty units, or a 12 penalty unit on-the-spot fine. (Last checked 2026-09-02.)
What other VIC cities have scrap yards? +
Yes — Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Melbourne, and others all have active scrap yards covered on this site. Melbourne (the Victoria capital) generally has the most yards and most competitive rates in the state.